star-crossed lovers
by allechant
Summary: or not so much crossed as it is aided. people say that the stars don't lie - so I believe that you and I will be together forever. don't you agree? One-shot request for Shirai Hisaishi, cover art credits to her as well.


"You can't catch me!" she screamed breathlessly, laughing as she ran through the hallway. He chased after her, laughing just as hard but gaining distance with every second. She might act like she was the faster runner between them, but they both knew that she could never outrun him.

He caught up at the staircase. She was halfway up the stairs when he looped his arms around her waist, yanking her back towards him. At the same time, he let his weight fall towards the wall so that he leant against the wood instead of falling down the stairs. He felt her breathing hard, making quiet gasping noises, and he nuzzled his face in her hair. "Well, I caught you again," he grinned though she couldn't see him. He knew she rolled her eyes before turning around to look directly at him.

"It's not fair, you have longer legs than me," she complained playfully, punching him lightly in the shoulder. He winced in feigned pain, groaning exaggeratedly, and she giggled as she started to struggle, trying to pull away from his grip. He tightened his arms around her and she gave up, hitting his forearm once before falling limp against him. "What if one day I really run away from you, will you be sad?" she asked wonderingly, running her fingers through her hair and getting them caught in the teal tangles. He reached up to help her get her fingers out, tugging as gently as he could.

"Of course I'll be sad," he tipped her chin upwards and made her look back at him, meeting her gaze intensely. She stared right back at him, something questioning in her eyes. "Remember you were the one who told me you would look after me and earn lots of money so that I wouldn't have to work?" he smiled wryly. "If you run away from me then I'd have to look for you, and if I can't find you I'd have to work. You'd be breaking your promise," he teased. Not that he would expect her to support him, of course. But he found it amusing that she absolutely insisted on being so financially capable.

"That's true," she looked thoughtful, cocking her head. "You'd be sad if I wasn't around to work. And I wouldn't be able to come home and eat your nice meals and watch you clean the house," she giggled again, turning in his arms and burying herself against his chest. He rolled his eyes – she was the one who wanted him to stay home and be a househusband in the future. Of course, he had no intentions of doing that. He wanted to have a job too – not necessarily a highflying one, but one good enough to support her. He wanted her to be able to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. It was the least he could do for someone he had loved ever since he was old enough to understand what _love_ was. How long ago was it, when he first stumbled across that poetry book?

"I love you," he whispered, pressing his chin against the top of her head and stroking her hair, massaging his fingers against her scalp. She made a small purring noise, sounding like a contented cat, and he closed his eyes in satisfaction. It was nice day today, warm and sunny, and the bright sunshine streamed through the glass windows into the open, airy house. He felt like today, he was capable of achieving anything, even more so with her by his side. With her, they could do anything.

As long as she was next to him and supporting him in all his choices, he felt like he would be able to jump off the edge of a cliff and soar high over his surroundings. She made him happy, but she didn't know how much happier he was with her around. He wished she could see herself through his eyes.

* * *

"Len!" he heard her shout his name from the second floor. Quickly, he climbed up the stairs towards the room – he noticed she was in the library and his footsteps slowed, trying to figure out why she was in there. She was extremely active and moved around a lot, and she was rarely ever in a library.

They were in his ancestral home, all the way out in the countryside. His grandfather had invited him over for a month and his parents had encouraged him to go, since his grandfather was old and frail and it would do his health some good to see his only grandson. His grandfather told him that it was all right if he brought his pretty little girlfriend along, so he asked her if she was interested in joining him here for a month and she had agreed, much to his surprise. She always seemed like an urban kind of girl, but then again she was always full of surprises. She kept him on his toes, and that was why he adored her. There was never a dull day when he was in the company of Hatsune Miku.

He hastened towards the library now, opening the thick wooden door and stepping quietly inside. "Hush," he said softly, "it's not a public library but we should at least respect the books. What are you doing here, Miku?" he walked down the aisles, trying to find her. She had not said anything after calling out for him, so he wandered around the shelves of books until he finally found her. She was poring over an old black book, bound with leather and with a completely blank cover. He stiffened at the sight of that book – he knew it, he had seen it himself six years ago when he was just a boy who knew little about love and affection. And now, his girlfriend, who could hardly read something for more than five minutes without putting it down and running off, was utterly engrossed in the pages.

"Len!" she suddenly seemed to notice him, closing the book and putting it back on the shelf. The suddenness of her movements made him jump and she giggled, approaching him so that she could hug him once more. He returned the hug, though his gaze drifted towards the book she had been reading just moments ago. That book was a poetry book, and a pretty old one at that. It had been written by his grandfather's father, a businessman who occasionally wrote poetry.

"You were reading that, Miku?" he asked, tilting his head towards the shelf. She turned back to look and she nodded, pulling away from him. At the mention of the book, she seemed a little uneasy. "Did you find anything interesting about it?" he asked. She must have seen it, there was no way she could have missed the poem. It was the very first poem in the entire book, a whole collection of poems his great-grandfather had dedicated to his first ever love. From what his grandfather told him, his great-grandfather was never able to marry his true love, but he managed to find peace and contentment with his wife. That book held all of the man's regrets and memories. He knew, he had seen the writing and read the poems aloud. It was incredible proof of how eternal love could be.

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess?" she bit her lip. "I saw the very first poem, you know. The one where the poet dedicated the entire volume to this mysterious woman. I saw that he signed off as K.L., and he addressed it to H.M…I found it really funny, that we share the same initials," she laughed. It was her typical breezy, carefree laugh and he found himself reaching out to sweep her long bangs across her forehead, revealing the joy in her expression and the clear beauty of her green eyes. "I was reading to see if he ever mentions their full names anywhere, but I didn't find anything."

"He does, actually," he admitted, separating from her to move towards the shelf. Reverently, he retrieved the book of poetry from where Miku had tucked it, turning to one of the poems in the middle of the book. Miku looked over his arm, craning her neck in eagerness. "See here," he pointed out a name which sprung out from the spindly black letters, catching their gaze – 'Miku', the poet wrote, comparing the name to the beauty and ephemeralness of a rose flower. Miku blinked as she read through the whole poem, a look of confusion gradually spreading over her delicate features.

"Why is my name in such a dusty old book? Is it a prank, Len? Are you playing a prank on me?" she nudged him, biting her lip in excitement. But he could see a sort of growing hope in her eyes that it wasn't a prank, that maybe this book revealed their future and was evidence that they would marry and live happily ever after. The poet and the woman he was writing about had the same initials as them, after all. But unlike them, the poet and his muse never managed to stay together…

"This book was written by my great-grandfather," Len explained. "His name was Kagamine Allen, but everyone just called him Len, so he took that on as his name instead. I was named after him," he reached out to ruffle her hair playfully and she pouted at him, jerking her head away. "In this book, he's writing about his first love…her name was Miku too. Don't look so surprised, surely you didn't think that you're the only person in the world with the name 'Miku'," he teased, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders. She rolled her eyes and sighed exaggeratedly, making a show of ignoring him. "Anyway, they never managed to marry, but I think my great-grandfather loved her all his life. If you want, I can ask my grandfather about him and his first love when he comes back to the house."

His grandfather was outside now, visiting some old friends from a neighbouring ranch somewhere. The old man had not wanted Len to come, saying that he was such a town dweller that he would be more hassle than help in the countryside, so he told him to stay here and look after the house. Len didn't mind staying in the mansion, actually. His ancestral home was very big, a floaty airy sort of space with plenty of sunlight, wide spacious rooms and long staircases. And it was even better because Miku was with him, and they had spent most of the morning exploring around the house.

"That would be great! If he doesn't mind, I mean," Miku added quickly. She had a great deal of respect for Len's grandfather, with whom Len shared a distinct resemblance. When he looked at photographs of his grandfather when he was young, he looked so much like him that it was uncanny. Len looked more like his grandfather than his father. "I'm sure he'll be tired after travelling so far to visit his friends. We can always wait for another day," she beamed cheerfully. Len just smiled and leaned down to peck the top of her head, making her purr once more in delight. She may be the noisier one between them and also more prone to mood swings or periods of bossiness, but she was also incredibly affectionate and that made him more loving as well. He had never thought of himself as being particularly romantic or sentimental, but she brought out a side of him he never knew existed.

"I'm sure he'll be all right," Len promised her, placing the book back where it belonged. He had leafed through these pages enough times in the past to remember most of what was inside, if not word for word then at least the gist of each poem. He could imagine how astounded Miku must be, when she opened this plain, century old book and found her name written in the brittle pages. For someone who believed so much in fate and destiny, this must have seemed like some kind of sign.

But they wouldn't end up like his great-grandfather and his lost love. Len would make sure that they stuck together no matter what. Nothing would come between them, he was certain. The thing was, he was sure his great-grandfather had felt the same way – so what had happened in the past such that the two lovers couldn't stay together? Maybe his grandfather would know…

* * *

His grandfather called the house in the evening to inform him that he arrived at the ranch late – he had made a detour while driving to buy a few supplies for the house, so by the time he reached the ranch it was evening and he decided it would be better to drive home tomorrow morning instead.

So for that night, he and Miku were alone in the house. It rained that night, a heavy thunderstorm with bright flashes of lightning and the roar of thunder low and deep, somewhere far away. Miku crept into his bed that night and nestled against him, fear showing on her face whenever the lightning flashed and threw his room into brightness. The curtains of his room were thin and gauzy, so they did little to hide the fury of the storm outside. Len was glad his grandfather had chosen not to drive back – he couldn't bear to imagine what it would be like if he drove out in this weather.

Miku was terrified of storms. She was bright and cheerful, she was loving and courageous, she was full of adventure. But the one thing she absolutely could not stand was lightning and thunder. They just affected her for some reason, the same way he was afraid of heights. He couldn't explain why he was terrified of that sense of vertigo, of looking down from above and seeing how insignificant and _tiny_ everything was. So he held her close to him and tried his best to communicate to her, silently, that he would protect her and keep her safe. In this room, the thunderstorm couldn't reach them.

She had always been afraid of storms. She didn't even like rain, since that usually ruined her plans unless she intended to get muddy and dirty anyway. He remembered when they were younger and she used to jump around in puddles with her red umbrella and matching red boots, and he would laugh and jump right in front of her and cause a giant splash of water to soak her through. He loved to tease her because she was so unlike other girls, who screamed and cried when he did something like pour water on them or show them cool bugs he found outside. Miku was utterly fascinated by the same things as him, and she loved a good prank as well, so the two of them got along very well.

That wasn't to say she was a tomboy. Quite the contrary, in fact. Miku was cute, he couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. She had naturally long eyelashes that made her look like a tiny doll and her skin had a radiant glow that made it look dewy and bouncy. She had big eyes and rose petal lips, and she was so tiny that he could tuck her under his chin comfortably without even having to crane his neck. She was small, but she was also vicious and could throw a hard punch if she absolutely had to. He had been on the receiving end of one of her punches before, and needless to say it _hurt_. Yet at the same time, this was the same girl who could never open her bottles and always asked him for help when it came to unscrewing bottle caps. She could be exasperating, but she was worth it all.

He first met Miku when she was five years old, the same age as him after they just moved into the neighbourhood. He had been living in their countryside mansion for the first five years of his life before his parents decided that moving to the city would make their daily commute easier. Since he was so isolated in his childhood, he was a nervous child and had been terrified by the idea of talking to other children, but then Miku came over with a sullen look on her face and a plate of chocolate chip muffins and offered them to his parents, who instantly fell in love with the little girl's natural charm. They even allowed her to demolish half of the muffins she had brought over for them to begin with.

Of course, it was no secret that his mother, Kagamine Rin, really wanted a daughter. But there were many complications with his birth and the doctor told his parents that if Rin conceived a second time, there was a high chance that her life would be at risk. So his parents decided to settle for just one child and showered all their love and care upon him. With Miku though, his mother really seemed to blossom. She treated the little teal haired girl as though she was her own child, and Miku's parents never seemed to mind the amount of time she spent at his house. Over time, he and Miku naturally grew to become best friends, and for quite some time he viewed her as a boy, just like himself. Or like a little sister. Her behaviour was just so unladylike that he couldn't see her as a girl, despite her delicate appearance. Miku sometimes even entertained the notion of cutting off her long, lustrous teal hair, but his mother and her parents had always strictly forbidden the idea.

He was twelve years old when he first thought that he might actually like Miku. Of course, back then he didn't really understand the concept of love. But he was visiting his grandfather during the summer holidays and he came across the same book as Miku did just this afternoon. He read through it, not fully getting the meaning of the poetry, and the idea of love just stuck with him for the duration of his entire stay. He started wondering if he might love Miku, since he felt the giddy exhilaration his great-grandfather described when he was with Miku as well. And of course, it had not missed his attention that the woman his great-grandfather was writing to was called Miku too.

He quickly forgot about the book and love, just like how little children tended to forget things, and he and Miku went on with their usual lives, teasing each other about crushes and hanging out whenever they were free. He could always count on her to come over for a video game or two, or to have a pizza party or to go fishing and hiking over the weekend. She was extremely active and hated engaging in the same typical activities as her friends, like shopping or manicures or sleepovers with pillow fights and gossip – which was quite the in thing when they were fourteen years old. She would rather hang out with boys, who were much less fussy and more willing to get 'down and dirty' with things, as she claimed. So even then they were best friends, despite continuous teasing from their friends that they might be _more_ than friends. Of course they were more, they were practically siblings at that point – but Len wondered if his feelings started to grow because of that teasing.

When they were sixteen years old, he asked her out on a movie date. Somehow, they both knew there was something different about it. First of all, they never just watched movies – Len thought they were expensive, and Miku thought they were boring. But they agreed to hang out, and then they had dinner and he walked her home and when she was jiggling her key in the lock of the front door, he impulsively touched her shoulder, causing her to turn around. He leant in and he _almost_ kissed her, but he didn't actually dare to do so, his face hovering just a few inches away from hers. He didn't understand why he was suddenly behaving this way around her, and he was confused.

She stared at him for a while before she suddenly reached up and pecked him on the cheek. It was a light kiss, and she had done it before on Valentine's Day whenever they exchanged their gifts – it was a friendly kiss, he knew it didn't mean anything. But he saw the look in her green eyes and he couldn't help but feel like this time was different. She wished him goodnight and walked into her house, leaving him both triumphant and uncertain at the same time, and he wondered if he ought to try asking her out on a proper, boy-girl sort of date again, instead of all their rough hiking trips and their camps in the wilderness in an attempt to show off their independence and misplaced bravado.

The next day, Miku called him and she asked if he _liked_ her, and the way she emphasised the word made him think that she didn't mean just a casual, friendly sort of like. He answered honestly, that he wasn't sure because he couldn't help but care for her since they were such good friends, yet he couldn't deny they had _something_ going on last night. She said that maybe they should give the whole dating thing a whirl – she was remarkably casual about the whole thing, but then again she wasn't like any other girl he had met before – and they agreed, and now here they were two years later, Miku trembling in his arms as they lay in his bed and listened to the loud claps of thunder outside.

Miku wasn't the first girl he had ever dated. He had dated two other girls before her, when he was fifteen years old and the second a few months before he and Miku ended up together. But both times didn't last very long. It wasn't that he didn't try either – he did put effort into the relationship but both of them sometimes were too needy, or they demanded too much of his time and attention. He tried to explain that he had tests and projects due, he couldn't spend the whole night on the phone with them, but the first one hadn't understood and continuously moaned about depression and how she would cut herself, and the second one complained that he simply didn't care for her.

Both breakups had been mutual. The first girl ended up with someone else just as dark and morbid as her – he had seen the couple around town before, talking about death and drugs and generally hanging out with the punk rockers in school. She looked happier with him than she did with Len, and Len was glad that she found someone who could listen to her philosophical musings at two in the morning. Len preferred to focus on reality and not think about questions like the ones she posed. Why would he want to think about death when he had so much to live for?

The other girl ended up changing boyfriends another three times in the two years past their breakup. He had no idea what she was looking for, but he hoped she would find someone who would appreciate her. She was a nice girl, just a little needy sometimes and slightly too fond of gossip for his tastes. He couldn't bring himself to care when she talked to him, for the fiftieth time, about how much she hated her friends and how they were probably two-faced backstabbers who hated her for having a boyfriend when they were all single. He was patient, but not _that_ patient.

Miku was perfect for him. He probably only felt that way because he had known her for most of his life and knew everything about her, what she liked and what she didn't, what made her tick and what made her happy. But he also felt like he could connect with her on some deep, emotional level. She understood his desire for space sometimes and respected his wishes when he wanted to be left alone. In the same way, he knew when she was sad and was trying to act happy so that she wouldn't worry anyone, and he would hold her close to him and press light kisses against her cheeks until the strained smile became more genuine. They understood each other, and he was never gladder that they had decided to just…give their relationship a chance. It all fell into place so easily, as though there was some greater force out there who was pulling them together. Maybe she was right about destiny and fate – but Len could never force himself to have the same amount of faith as Miku.

Lighting flashed again, this time accompanied by a low rumble of thunder. Miku let out a quiet moan and pressed her hands to her ears, turning her face into his pillow. Hastily, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her towards him so that she was nestled right against his chest, his leg draping over her body protectively. He wrapped his thick blanket around them to form some sort of cocoon and leant his head down towards hers, inhaling the fresh scent of her shampoo. He felt her shivers subside as she sighed his name quietly and leant her head against the crook of his neck. Her hands were now resting against his chest and she could probably feel his heartbeat thrumming through the fabric of his shirt. He hoped that his warmth and the sound of his heart beating would soothe her.

Since he was physically active and played plenty of sports, his heartbeat was strong, slow and steady. He knew he had a very slow heartbeat – his doctor had commented on it before, but he said it was common for athletes to have slower heartbeats. His heart only ever sped up when he was around Miku. He wondered if she was aware of the physical changes only her presence could cause.

* * *

"You want to know why they never ended up together?" his grandfather croaked as Len kneaded the old man's shoulders, massaging him after he was cooped up for so long in the car. Len was glad his grandfather was back, safe and sound. Miku was lying down with her front towards the floor, her legs waving in the air behind her. Her chin was propped up by her hands. She nodded in response.

His grandfather lay back in his rocking chair, looking thoughtful. His blond hair was thinning and had lightened over the years, so that the silvery hair now had the barest tinge of gold to it. His blue eyes, once a vivid cerulean like Len's eyes, had also grown more colourless over the years and were now a very pale shade of blue. But his eyes were sharp and wise, and he was still in full possession of his mental capacity. His grandfather was healthy, just not as strong as he once was. He attributed it to the fresh air in the countryside and his constant activity – he went for a walk every morning.

"They were in love, you know. Very much in love," his grandfather started. "But back then…it was strange, to see a girl behaving just like a man. Of course, it was no longer the seventeenth century where her behaviour would have been put down to the Devil's influence, but still. Our family disapproved of the marriage. They said your great-grandfather had to marry a gentle lady from a fine family, so…he put his family before his future," his grandfather sighed. "The Miku he speaks of is just like you, young one! Smart, adventurous, a delightful girl with a wonderful sense of humour. It was just a pity that she preferred bloomers over dresses and skirts. It was quite scandalous back then."

Miku and Len exchanged a glance, her eyes full of wonder, his full of questions. "He broke off their relationship just because his parents disapproved?" he asked to be sure. His grandfather nodded, looking at him sharply with those clear blue eyes. He seemed to understand Len's disbelief.

"You must remember that in the past, family was very important. Nowadays you have all these youngsters with their premarital shenanigans eloping left, right and centre. Ridiculous! I'm glad you two are a decent young couple," he squinted at them. "At least, I hope you are decent," he added. "I don't want any grandson of mine to be involved in any sort of scandal. Your great-grandfather left his true love to save the reputation of his family. You'd best not do anything to ruin that, boy, or you'll make me turn in my grave," he wagged his finger warningly, smiling nevertheless.

Len spluttered. "Of course not! Don't think so far ahead," he met Miku's gaze, his cheeks warming. Miku just giggled, hiding her laughter behind her hand. She was _adorable_ , and Len instantly forgot about his brief moment of embarrassment. "Thanks for sharing, Grandfather. It's nice to know that Miku and I take after our ancestors," he smiled wryly, thinking about the poetry book again. It really showed how times had changed, such that in the past a girl behaving like a boy would be strange enough to cause her lover to leave her. He wondered how that Miku felt when his great-grandfather left. Did she find herself strange and outcast? Did she hate his great-grandfather for what he did?

"Do you know what her full name was?" Miku suddenly piped up, asking his grandfather. Both of them turned to her in surprise. Miku got up from the floor, brushing herself down – she was wearing a simple white blouse and blue denim shorts, but she looked so pretty. Len found that he was getting lost in her eyes, but he shook his head and forced himself to stay in the present. Thankfully, no one noticed what he was doing, Miku focusing on his grandfather as the old man thought carefully.

"I believe that my father did tell me. Hagane Miku, if I'm not wrong…" his grandfather finally said. Miku let out a gasp of surprise and Len stared at her – did she actually know the name? Miku blinked furiously in excitement, her mouth opening and closing just like a fish as she fluttered her hands around her face, clearly having found out something astonishing. "Are you all right?" his grandfather asked, clearly concerned. He could see why. Miku looked like she was going to hyperventilate.

"Hagane is my great-grandmother's maiden name!" she burst out before laughing, collapsing back onto the floor. Len and his grandfather just stared blankly at the teal haired girl rolling across the carpet, laughing and clutching at her stomach. "Her name was Miku too!" she miraculously managed to gasp out. It took a while but she finally calmed down and sat up, breathing deep and slow. "My mother told me that I behaved just like my great-grandmother did in the past. She said I must have gotten her tomboy genes or something, and that it skipped two generations in our family," she wrinkled her nose cutely. "Maybe your great-grandfather fell in love with _my_ great-grandmother, and they never managed to be with each other so God gave their descendants a chance!"

"Come on, that's too far-fetched," he protested, but secretly he was thrilled by the idea as well. His grandfather simply shrugged and slowly leant back in his rocking chair, moving back and forth. Len shot him a look of confusion, and his grandfather simply smiled peacefully back at him, clearly telling him to settle this matter himself. Len reached out towards Miku, grabbing her arm and pulling her up from the floor. "Well…we can go look for old family photos, my great-grandfather might have one of the mysterious Miku and we can see whether your theory is correct," he suggested.

She agreed to the idea so they went off to the library again, this time looking for the old photobooks that were probably stored in some dusty shelf at the back of the library. It took them half an hour to finally locate where all the old photobooks were, and even then there were quite a few and Len thought that they would have to spend a few hours just trying to search through all the dusty old tomes. Every single thick book was lightly layered with dust, and opening a new photobook made him cough and splutter, his eyes watering as the particles got everywhere. Miku was faring just slightly better than him, but her green eyes were alight with fervent excitement as she scanned through page after page of old, black and white photographs. He smiled to himself and went back to flipping through the books, trying to find photos of his great-grandfather's mysterious true love.

He did manage to find photos of his great-grandfather. His great-grandfather looked just like his grandfather – it was like seeing an older version of himself, not quite as old as his grandfather but maybe in his late twenties, early thirties. The man in this photograph was posing with a waistcoat and a tall black hat. He carried an ornate black cane in his hand as well and stood at attention for the photograph, a distant look in his expression. He looked like he was longing for something lost. But then his grandfather had mentioned once that his great-grandfather was always mourning for what he could have had, even after he had a wife and children. There was always something he missed…

Miku let out a sharp cry of surprise, and he hastened over to where she was. She was peering at the very last page of a small photobook, and he could make out a grainy photograph, small and oval shaped. It was probably meant to fit inside a locket but was never properly installed, or maybe the photographer was trying to hide the picture and thus cut it to make it small and inconspicuous. But it was enough for him to make out the familiar playful smile, the sparkling eyes, the long dark hair and the sheer exuberance that came from the cheerful face. It was his girlfriend in black and white, a little older with just _slightly_ different features – her eyes were bigger and her nose was a bit pointier than Miku's – but the resemblance was unmistakeable. This had to be Hagane Miku, his great-grandfather's lost love. And all this time, her photograph had been kept in this dusty old library…

"Wow," Miku whispered in awe, tracing her fingers across the profile of the woman's face. "It looks just like me…" she turned towards Len, her green eyes sparkling in wonder. "See? I told you it was fate! We're destined!" she left the photobook and wrapped her arms around him, sighing happily. He blinked, stunned for a while, but quickly his arms found their familiar position around her and he was hugging her tightly, finally able to see where she found all her faith. It wasn't so much about believing in the existence of a greater being – what Miku believed was that everything worked out for a reason, that everyone had a soulmate and she needed no further convincing to be certain he was hers.

"I love you," he whispered before he reached down towards her, pressing his lips lightly against hers. She returned the kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck and for a while the two of them just stood there amidst all the dusty books, content in each other's embrace. She tasted like sunshine and berries – he loved her, the way she tasted, the way she laughed, the way she simply was. He would have loved her even without what he had just learnt about his ancestors. She was so unique and precious, someone who embraced herself fully and never allowed society to dictate how she ought to behave. She opened up new paths for him and made him see new things. She completed him.

Suddenly, she pulled away. "I love you too," her eyes were still sparkling. "But if you want to show you love me, then you have to catch me!" with a burst of laughter she tore away from him, escaping down the aisle towards the other end of the library. He stared, surprised, at the place where she was standing just moments ago, before realisation sunk in and he narrowed his eyes. She ran away _again_! But it was all right, he would catch her. He always could catch her, even if she tried her very hardest to stay ahead of him. He wouldn't be like his great-grandfather, who prioritised his family ideals over his love – Len was much more selfish, and he wouldn't let Miku go for anything.

"You know I'll catch you," he called as he started to run, listening closely for the sounds of her feet thumping against the thick, carpeted floor. _And this time, when I catch you, I'm not letting you go._

* * *

 **A/N** : _One shot request with the prompt, "In a dusty old library, you find a hundred year old book wherein you are mentioned by name". Additional themes included fluff and the change in gender roles from past to present. This was a little rushed, it took a burst of inspiration and around two or three hours to write. I hope it's satisfactory._


End file.
